Villamañán () is a town located in the south-west of the province of

León, Spain León (; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the province of León, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a population of 124,303 (2019), ...

, in the area known as '' Esla'', in the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It was originally known as Villamagna, but the name evolved to its current version, Villamañán.

Demographics

Villamañán has a population of 1,287 as of the '' INEs (Spanish Census Bureau) 2005 estimate. 633 of the population are males and 654 are females.

Villamañán (the town)

Villamañán is located in the south-west of the province of León in the

. It is located within a distance of 37 km of the city of León. Its total area is 57,8 km². There are 736

households A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is impo ...

and its population is of 1,287. Some of the most famous places in town are ''Plaza Mayor'' or ''La Plaza'' (the town's biggest and main square where the Villamañán's historical church and its tower are located, along with a famous candy and magazine shop), the historical and legendary church of ''La Zarza'' (literally means ''Church of the Blackberry'', where the legend says the ghost of

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

appeared on a

blackberry BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

and told the people who saw it to build a church there in her honor, hence the name ''Church of the Blackberry'') and the park known as ''el Jardín'' (''the Garden''). During the summertime every year Villamañán becomes a touristic spot and many visitors from all over

and even from other countries worldwide come visit and stay in town, but definitely most of the visitors who come to Villamañán come from the area in

called

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

. There are two swimming pools in Villamañán open to the public which also happen to be social spots for everyone in town, one, located right next to the Villamañán's

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

field, visited every afternoon/evening by huge numbers of people, which is public and belongs to the Villamañán City Hall in which there are three different sized swimming pools, a big grass area to tan and relax on, a tennis court and a coffee shop. There are many other coffee shops and bars in town. Plus, every Wednesday morning and afternoon of the year nonstop there's a

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

in ''Plaza Mayor'' where from food to clothes and accessories can be found.

Geography

* 42° 19′ 00″ North * 005° 34′ 59″ West

Economy

Villamañán's most important economic activity is

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

and

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. There used to be a brick factory.

Local holidays

''Fiestas de la Zarza'' (''Blackberry Holiday'')

This is the biggest and most important holiday in Villamañán. It takes place in early September, usually between the 5th, 6th or 7th and the 11th, 12th or 13th of the month. This holiday is celebrated in honor of ''Virgen de la Zarza'' or the ''Virgin of the Blackberry'', who happens to be

, known as ''Virgin of the Blackberry'' because of the legend that says she appeared on a

in Villamañán and told the people who saw her to build a church right there in her honor. The holiday is celebrated between those dates because those are the dates the legend says the '' Virgin of the Blackberry'' appeared on. Even though the holiday originally comes from something religious, the current way the holiday is celebrated absolutely lacks anything to do with religion, nor are the people who celebrate it religious or interested in religion at all for the most part. One of the most important things of these holidays are the infamous ''Peñas'' -''groups of people from Villamañán or somehow related to it, who usually are friends, that get together and create "clubs" in different places of the town, under certain requirements, to celebrate these holidays''-. ''Peñas'' are definitely the life of the party and the most important aspect of the celebration of these holidays. It is a very big tradition for people who celebrate the ''Blackberry Holiday'' or ''Fiestas de la Zarza'' to ''ir de peñas'' (''go from "peña" to "peña"''), for the most part late at night until well past the down and enjoy everything they have to offer, mostly, but not limited to, alcoholic drinks and music. During ''Fiestas de la Zarza'' many events and activities for all ages such as contests, sport games and championships, etc., take place in the afternoons and evenings thanks to the ''peñas'' and to ''Villamañán's City Hall''. Also, every year art galleries from town show exclusive and private artwork owned and/or created by people from Villamañán for a limited time only, while ''Fiestas de la Zarza'' last. The most famous of all events that take place during these holidays is ''Concurso de Paellas'' or the ''

Paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...

Contest'', in which all ''peñas'' cook ''

paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...

s'' and compete for the price of the best

of them all. People can go and freely eat as much ''

'' as they wish. This event takes place right next to a private swimming pool property of an apartment complex known as ''El Palacio'' and it is infamous because every year, it has become a tradition that almost every visitor to the ''

Contest'' ends up in the swimming pool, by their own will or if not, being thrown in by others. It is also a big tradition that every evening and night during ''Fiestas de la Zarza'' different bands from all over

play in ''Plaza Mayor'' until the morning hours. Two nights during ''Fiestas de la Zarza'' there's a

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

show. The big number of rides and attractions spread all over ''Plaza Mayor'' and its surroundings is also very popular during ''Fiestas de la Zarza'', as well as the ''Fiestas de la Zarza'' inauguration, which consists on throwing

and bells from the ''Plaza Mayor'' historical church's tower ringing so hard that they can be heard from anywhere in the town and a parade that goes through almost every street in Villamañán.

''San Antonio (St. Anthony)''

Even though its official date is June 13, it is celebrated the prior or next Saturday to the official date. This holiday is celebrated in honor of St. Anthony, and even though the holiday is in honor of a religious figure, nowadays its celebration has nothing to do with religion. Neither are the people who celebrate it religious at all for the most part, which happens with every holiday in Villamañán. It's believed in Villamñán that St. Anthony brings good luck to the single and helps them find a significant other. It's famous for the beautiful

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...

that is made at night right next to the park known as ''el Jardíns entrance and that various people jump off. Traditions of this night are the band that plays all night in ''Plaza Mayor'' and each year comes from different places in

''Santiago (St. Jack)''

Event though its official date is July 25, it's celebrated the prior or next Saturday to the official date. St. Jack is a national holiday in

but it's celebrated in a very special way in Villamañán. It is a big tradition that this day people get together, usually in ''el Jardín'', in the late afternoon and evening to have different kinds of food and drinks that are given for free by volunteers and paid by Villamañán's City Hall. The biggest food of them all is the famous Spanish food called ''

chorizo ''Chorizo'' ( , ; ; see #Names, below) is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite differe ...

'' and bread. The celebration lasts all night long and there's also a band, each year from different places from all over

, playing in ''Plaza Mayor''.

''San Marcos (St. Mark)''

This holiday takes place on April 25. It is probably the smallest and least-celebrated holiday in Villamañán. This day, people from Villamañán go in the morning and afternoon to ''la Ermita de San Pedro'' (''the Church of St. Peter'') located between the town of Villamañán and its neighbot town Villacé right in front of a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

and eat bread and

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

and have various drinks that are given away free by volunteers and paid by Villamañán's City Hall. Some years there has been a band playing in Villamañán on this holiday as well.

''Sábado de Piñata (Pinhata Saturday)''

It is celebrated the next Saturday after

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

takes place. Along with the holiday of ''San Marcos'', this one has the smallest number of visitors. A costume contest and dance is celebrated late at night, usually in the building known as ''el Salón Cultural'', which lasts until the morning hours. Everyone in town wears a costume this night and a band also plays in the dance. Originally this dance and contest used to take place at the coffee shop / bar ''Casino''.

Monuments, historical buildings and places of interest

Some of the most notorious historical buildings in Villamañán are ''la Ermita de la Zarza'' (''Church of the Blackberry''), where the legend says the ghost of

appeared on a

that was right where the church is nowadays and told the people who saw it to build a church there in her honor (hence the name ''Church of the Blackberry'') as well as the historical church located in ''Plaza Mayor'' along with its big tower that can be seen from anywhere in the town and even from outside of it and its bells that ring every hour and every half an hour nonstop, being heard from anywhere in town.

Typical foods

Villamañán is famous for its wine, whose kind is known as '' Prieto Picudo''. It is made in small and private

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control s ...

s as well as in the biggest

and factory in Villamañán known as ''Miñambres''.

References

External links

Villamañán's MySpaceOld Villamañán website's guestbook (still in use)Villamañán Red Cross official websiteVillamañan's ''Peña 600'' official websiteVillamañán's ''Peña Los XI Mandamientos'' (''the 11 Commandments'') official websiteThe weather in VillamañánOfficial Website of Villamañán Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villamanan Municipalities in the Province of León